459. Real Talk: How to Recruit + Empower a Diverse Team (Replay) - Kishshana Palmer
Listen to this episode
Overview
Meet Kishshana. Educator, speaker, head honcho, coach, you name it. She is the real deal. Kishshana delivers meaningful messages with such wisdom and knowledge. There is power in her words and actions of creating a more inclusive world, not just in the nonprofit sector. Kishshana gives us an insight into creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace as well as real-life experiences that shaped her into the powerhouse she is today. Hunker down with your notepad and a good pen, you’ll want to write this down.
Today’s Guest
Kishshana Palmer, Speaker, Educator, Trainer, Coach and Recovering Fundraiser, and Founder of The Rooted Collaborative
“‘Cultural Fit’ is just a container for the prejudices that we hold around who we think belongs.”
Episode Highlights
Kishshana’s journey and background (2:50)
Using narrative to get people to believe (9:00)
Transformational Leadership: Be present in the game. (9:58)
The lack of diversity in the nonprofit profession (16:30)
Inequities persist in our practices and policies and bubble up and show up in our hiring (20:00)
Kishshana’s advice on the “job search” (23:10)
The Rooted Collaborative: a female-focused and led community for BIPOC female leaders, entrepreneurs, advocates, and artists who are redefining the look of philanthropy and fundraising, through their eyes. (29:00)
Kishshana’s 4 tips to recruit more diverse fundraising professionals to your teams (36:00)
Kishshana’s One Good Thing: Get you some good counsel. (46:27)
Maintain a diverse mix of mentors, friends, and colleagues on your personal and professional advisory boards (47:00)
Kishshana’s Book: Hey I’m New Here
Powerful Quotes:
“I learned quickly how to use narrative to get folks to believe. I was able to marry my ability to write with my love for people.” -Kishshana
“Ultimately most of us want to do good. By and large we want to be seen, heard, and in community.” -Kishshana
“Transformational leadership has shifted in my mind in the last year. It used to be real textbook. How do I respond (not react), and how do I get in the game when I am stressed?” -Kishshana
“I had to become a student of the game, while I was a student of the game. You have to be present in the game.” -Kishshana
“Being able to talk about transformation means being able to be self aware enough, vulnerable enough, and present enough in the current phase of your life, so that you can lead from a place of beginner’s mind.” -Kishshana
“I’m learning you cannot be someone who subscribes to self awareness if you aren’t willing to humble yourself and listen.” -Becky
“I saw that when we had black and brown candidates come into the interview process, “solid” wasn’t a word we could use. It had to be “exceptional”. -Kishshana
“We haven’t created conditions for black and brown professionals to persist and excel in our organizations. Simple things like how our payments in our salaries were set up.” -Kishshana
“Inequities would persist in our practices and policies, and they would bubble up and show up in our hiring.” -Kishshana
“Cultural Fit’ is just a container for the prejudices that we hold around who we think belongs.” - Kishshana
“If we are serious about having professionals of color at different levels of leadership within an organization, we have to be serious about how we build out our second, third, and eventually our first circles of people we are connected to.” -Kishshana
“I was taught what would make me more acceptable.” -Kishshana
“The Rooted Collaborative was born because I knew I didn’t want other women coming into this sector to feel the level of loneliness and isolation and not have the place to grow in a safe space.” -Kishshana
“We learned in our first two years that women were not healthy. A mental, physical and emotional health that was translating to how they felt about fundraising, leading programs, and being partnered with other women.” -Kishshana
“We made a decision very early on to focus on the whole woman. Oftentimes as women, when you are not allowed to show up as your whole self, you start to wilt and shrink.” -Kishshana
"We do not need an echo chamber of people who agree with everything we do and say. Think of your personal and professional advisory boards. If you don’t have that, get out and get it today.”
4 tips for Recruiting Diverse Fundraising Professionals
1. Understand the “working norms” of your organizations
Your culture is an outgrowth of your policies, procedures and working practices and norms. Oftentimes we get real busy, so we don’t get in the nitty gritty. The next time you are in a meeting and have an “eyebrow raising moment”, say something. Get in the mix, and start using your social capital.
2. Know what you want before you go to market
If an outcome is actually to have a professional of color on your team, you have to be relentless in your search. Be specific about the core competencies, what success looks like, and what resources you are willing to provide to help them be successful. You are marketing for professionals to join you. Candidates go to your website and look at your people. You have to cast your net wide.
3. Have parity with the way you do reference checks
Make sure that when you are checking for references, you are checking for ways a person can develop. Ask for an equal number of references from each candidate. Remember: you are trying to help them win. If they have made it to this round, they meet many qualifications and are impressive.
4. Have an onboarding plan that you did not plan the morning of
As a manager, part of the feather in your cap is when people win. Have an intentional onboarding plan, and have things set up for the next 90 days to help your new hires continue to learn and grow.
Connect with Kishshana
Instagram / Facebook / Website / Email
Connect with the Rooted Collaborative
Connect with Jon
Connect with Becky
CONNECT WITH WE ARE FOR GOOD
Support the We Are For Good Podcast
Join the We Are For Good Community
You can think of it as the after-party to each podcast episode 🥳
Say hi👇
LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter
